Domminiece (right) is sitting with a fellow student. They are both smiling at the camera and have red dots on their foreheads.
Over the winter break, two of our Words Alive Westreich Scholars had the amazing opportunity to take their studies abroad for a few weeks! Domminiece Willis is one of our star scholars and is about to graduate from San Diego State University with a degree in Child Development. We are so thrilled that Domminiece had this opportunity!
Hear more about the trip from Domminiece herself!
Where did you study abroad?
Kathmandu, Nepal.
What similarities and difference did you notice between your study abroad location and San Diego?
A few similarities that I noticed about Kathmandu that reminded me of San Diego was how busy nightlife is. Exploring through the streets to go shopping and seeing all the shops, bright lights, loud music, and the sea of people reminded me of the Gaslamp during the weekends. Another similarity was artwork. There is artwork throughout the streets of Kathmandu and you can find the same with San Diego whether it be graffiti, murals, or colorful walls. There were many differences between Kathmandu and San Diego - one big difference is there are mini rivers throughout the city. Animals like chickens, goats, and cows (which are considered sacred here) can be see being walked by their owners, or sitting or walking freely throughout the streets.
A selfie of Domminiece walking next to a cow. Domminiece has a huge smile on her face.
What did you learn while you were there?
I have learned so much about religion, the Nepalese language, how to cook traditional Nepalese dishes, how to do wood carving, and how to find enlightenment and properly mediate by a monk.
What was your favorite part of the experience?
My favorite part of my Nepal experience was going to two different secondary schools and teaching the children about how to take care of their mental and emotional health. Another highlight was getting three large trash bags of clothing together with the other students on the trip and sending it to Maiti Nepal, an organization dedicated to reducing and protecting Nepali girls and women from crimes like domestic violence, trafficking for flesh trade, child prostitution, child labor and various forms of exploitation and torture.
What was the most challenging part?
The most challenging part of the experience was visiting Maiti Nepal. Once we arrived we went into a board room and watched a 5-min video about the organization, there were a few testimonies in the video that brought me to tears and once the video ended a representative of the organization came in and spoke briefly about Maiti Nepal and that was it… or so I thought. We made our way back downstairs and the founder of the organization, Anuradha Koirala, was there to speak with us as well. A real-life HERO. I was not prepared for what came next. Ms.Koirala lead us outside where we were met face-to-face with real victims and survivors of human trafficking. It broke me completely down and I was told that I could not cry in front of them because this was their “safe haven” and me crying would show that this was not a safe place. Leaving I felt so drained and I felt so helpless. I wanted to help them all and I could not do anything at the moment.
Where do you want to travel next?
I would like to visit Thailand next. I have a deep love for elephants and I hear that Thailand has the best Elephant sanctuary! So that’s next on the list.